Oil-engine starter



June 3 192 Q A. MOFARLANE ET AL,

OIL ENGINE STARTER Filed May 27, 1922 array I 2 Sheets-Sheet l \9 i $4 66 If (22 5 [50 I 70 74 Q7 amra whim June 1 9 192.

56,820 B.'A. MCFARLANE ET AL OIL ENGINE STARTER Filed May 27, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 1', 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BLAIR A. MGFARLANE AND MORRIS J. GOLDBERG, 0F BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNORS ,TO FAIRBANKS, MORSE & 00., OF IBELOIT, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- CONSIN.

OIL-ENGINE STARTER.

Application filed May 27, 1922. Serial No. 564,120.

This invention relates to the general class of internal combustion engines in which compression of the contents of the engine cylinder at the starting of the engine is relied upon to generate sufiicient heat to fire said contents. e

The object of this invention is to provide means for cold starting engines using heavy oils as fuel and without using, during the regular operation, the high compression that is necessary for cold starting.

The invention consists in providing an engine with easily constructed, efficient operating means, surcharge the compression space to produce enough additional compression at the starting of the engine to ignite a combustible mixture and thereafter discontinue the use of this additional compression as the engine begins to operate under normal conditions. The invention further consists in numerous features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals designate the same parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is an end elevation with certain parts in section, showing mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a side view, partly in section, of an alternative form of valve controlling device specially applicable to the mechanism shown in Figure .1.

Figure 3 is an end view, partly in section, on the irregular line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevation, partly in section, of an engine equipped with a modified form of valve mechanism for attaining the desired results. Thedevice of this invention is shown applied to a conventional form of two cycle oil engine, including a cylinder 10, piston 12, connecting rod 14, crank 16, crank shaft 18 and water cooling system 20. At the upper end of the combustion chamber 22 of cylinder 10 is a check valve 24 controlling an air I with compressed air pipe 26-28-30 leading through a valve casing 32'to a main compressed air supply pipe 34 .supplied from outside the figure produced in any suitable manner not entering into this invention. The pipe 34 maybe independently controlled by a shut-01f valve device'36 when and if by which the operatpr can desired. In the casing 32 is a valve 38 which in the particular figure of the drawings is so positioned that under normal conditions it hangs open by gravity and therefore does not require a spring. The stem 40 of valve 38 extends inside of a frame or casing 42 concentric with crank shaft 18, and its end- 44 is adapted to be periodically engaged by a cam 46 carried by said crank shaft. In the pipe line 26-28 is a shut-off valve 48 having an external lever 50 adapted for manipulation to open "and close it. In the same pipe line and above the valve 48 is a T 52 having a branch pipe 54 leading to another shut-off valve 56 located preferably in parallelism with valve 48 and provided with an operating handle or lever 58 corresponding to lever 50. These two levers are preferably, but not necessarily, connected together by any suitable means as for instance by connecting rod 60. Valve 56 is also for convenience provided with an additional operating lever 62 havin a handle 64 for ready manual operation. ne end of a connecting rod 66 is attached to this lever 62 while the other end of said rod is connected at 68 to one arm 70 of a bell crank pivoted at 72, whose opposite arm 74 engages, as shown, the endof a part 76'which moves in unison with the oil supply pump plunger '80 of the engine and pro ects through case member 42 into the path of travel of another cam 47 on shaft 18 formed either separately from or as an integral part of cam 46, a roller 84 being conventionally provided to actually engage the cam. This lever 70, which also carries a handle 86, provided with a ratchet latch mechanism 88, for conventional en agement with a stationary segment 90, is a apted for manual adjustment by properly manipulating sa1d ratchet 88 to move the arm 74 so that the roller 84 is held partially or completely out of engagement with cam 47, depending on how far to the left, as viewed in Figure 1, the part 76 moves the roller 84.

The oil pump with plunger 80, not here shown in detail, supplies oil in conventional manner to combustion chamber 22 and the mechanism just described is so proportioned in connection with this that when roller 84 is moved entirely out of reach of cam 46, no oil is delivered into the combustion space, while on the other hand when arm 74 releases this roller, spring 92 holds roller 84 in contact with cam 47 for complete conventional operation of the oil supply device. By setting ratchet mechanism 88 at some point on segment 90 intermediate of its ends, the operator may so position arm 74 that cam 47 which is of irregular shape will engage roller 84 during part of the cams revolution and not otherwise, thereby restricting the movement of plunger 80 and admitting only a part of the normal quantity of oil to the combustion space 22.

On the opposite side of valve 56 from the entrance to pipe 54 is another pipe 94 leading into a valve casing 96 and thence to a pipe 98 leading through a T 100 to a T 102 in the pipe line 28-30. Connected at the side of pipe 98. through the agency of T 100 is a measuring chamber 104 adjustable in size by a piston 106 manipulatable from outside the device by a hand wheel 108 in an obvious manner. In the valve casing 96 is a valve 110-like valve 38 except that because of its position a spring 112 is provided to move it vertically as viewed in F igure 1, oif from its seat. The lower end 114 of the stem of valve 110 extends inside the frame 42 into the path of travel of cam 46.

In the operation of starting the engine equipped with this invention as just described, the engine is turned over by hand clockwise as shown in Figure 1 until the piston 12 is near its upper limit of motion with the crank 16 just past the upper center. The engine is stopped in this position. If connecting rod 60 is not provided, as it need not be, valves 48 and 56 are independently set by hand so that valve 48 is open and valve 56 is closed. \Vith rod 60 present as shown, this adjustment is made in one movement by the operator properly manipulating the handle 64. The engine in moving to the point described will cause cam'46 to open valve 38, if it was not previously open, said cam being arranged to open said valve immediately after piston 12 reaches the end of its up stroke and starts on its down stroke. The operator now manually opens valve 36, whereupon compressed air from an external source passes through pipe34 past valve 38 held open by cam 46, through pipe 30 past valve 48, through pipe 26 and check valve 24 into' combustion space 22, until all this space is completely filled, thereby forcing piston 12 downward and starting the engine with sufficient force to give it {at'least onerevolution. As piston-12 moves downward the high part of cam'46 moves past valve stem 40 and allows valve 38 to close under pressure of 'air in pipe 34. lVhen the piston approaches theend of its down stroke the compressed air that was forcing it downward exhausts through the conventional port shown at 115 and the mo mentum of the engine parts carries piston 12 upward to its original position slightly past upper center, when valve 38 again is opened by cam 46 and the operation just recounted is repeated.

While the engine is thus turning under the action ofcompressed air, the operator manipulates handle 64 to close valve 48 and open valve 56, valve 36 still remaining open. Under these conditions, each time cam 46 opens valve 38, full pressure of air is admitted from pipe 30 past measuring tank 104, which fills with air through pipe 98 and the upper end of valve casing 96, thereby closing valve 110 against the action of spring 112, valve 38 itself automatically closing, i. e., moving upward at the completion of the filling of the parts named. Further motion of cam 46 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1, causes it to strike the lower end 114 of the stem of valve 110 and elevate it, thereby admitting this predetermined quantity of air which was confined between and measured by members 30 and 96, as just described, through pipe 94, valve 56, pipes 54 and 26 into the combustion space, thereby surcharging this combustion space and causing a sufficient abnormal compression to ignite a combustible mixture in the combustion space. The timing of cam 46 is such as to admit this surcharging air to the combustion space immediately after the piston has closed the port 115 on its compression stroke. This surcharge effect is produced at each revolution of the engine, the movement of the engine being maintained by the inertia of the fly wheel of the engine, not shown, the motive power having been cut off when valve 48 was closed.

The proportion and adjustment of rod 66 to the various other parts is such that when valve 48 is open on initial starting as described, valve 56 is closed, the oil pump controlled by the position of roller 84 is entirely inoperative and when lever 64 is moved to close valve 48 and open valve 56, this oil pump operates and feeds fuel oil to the engine near the end of each compression stroke during which this surcharging action has taken place thereby providing fuel to be ignited by the heat produced by the high compression due to said surcharging. As oil is not admitted prior to the beginning of the surcharging, the engine cylinder is not fouled by unconsumed oil.

By manipulating hand wheel 108, the volume of extra compressed air admitted to chamber 104 and ultimately to combustion space 22 is regulated to control the amount of air, and consequent pressure, admitted at each surcharging stroke.

' When and if desired, an additional independent lever 120, shown in Figure 2, may be provided having a ratchet latch mechanism 122 engaging a segment 124 exactly like the operator can set this finger 126-in such a position as is found by experiment will permit the oil pump to deliver only so much oil as needed at any time during the starting operation, the idea being that the operator will move this lever 120 entirely out of the way of roller 84 assoon as the engine is under complete operation. In other words, the lever 122 furnishes a convenient means'of controlling by hand the amount of oil introduced at all times while the engine is running at a lower speed than can be controlled by the governor.

In the modified form of device of Figure 4, valve 38, and cam 46 are still present as before, although the valve is, for convenience .of illustration, located on the opposite side of the cylinder. In this form of the invention, the surcharging feature ofthe device is taken care of b. an auxiliary valve arrangement operated y an eccentric 130, an eccentric rod 132'giving motion through lever 134 to a double rocker 13 6 controlling two valves 138 and 140 to open one while the other closes.- The valve chamber surrounding the valve 138 is supplied with compressed air from the main air tank through a hand control valve 142, and the charge of compressed air, after passing through valve 140, enters the cylinder through an independent check valve 144. The volume of air enclosed in space 146 adjacent to valves 138 and 140 corresponds to the volume of the measuring device of the preferred construction, and this volume may be varied by varying the size of a measuring receptacle 148 through the manipulation of the hand wheel 150.

In the operation of this alternative construction, the engine would be set in motion by the regular air starting arrangement. While the engine was moving, under the initial start ing system, as heretofore described,

air is admitted by opening hand valve 142 into-the surcharging system. Under these conditions, when valve 138 is opened, valve 140 is closed and the volume between the valves enclosing the measuring chamber 148 becomes filled with compressed air under approximately supply tank pressure. By the forward movement of the engine, valve 138 closes, preventing further entrance of supply air and at the proper time or while the piston is near its lower limit of 'movement, but on its upward movement, valve 140 is opened, allowing the compressed air trapped in the measuring space 148 to flow into the cylinder, thereby raising the compression above normal irf'the same manner as described in connection with the preferred construction.

A fuel oil pump and means for its manual control similar to the arrangement shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and described above will also be used with modification illustrated by Fig. 4'and described above.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a reciprocatingv oil engine, non-internal combustion means for starting initial rotation of the engine, means associ -ated with a supply of compressed air for measuring off a pie-determined quantity of compressed air, and valve means operated by the movement of the engine for admitting said air to the combustion space of the engine cylinder during part of a compression stroke.-

'2. In' combination with a conventional engine of the class described, means supplying compressed air. in suitably spaced impulses to the piston to keep the engine in motion, means operable for admitting a measured quantity of compressed air in front of the piston on its compression stroke,

means selectively determining under which condition the air shall be so admitted, means controlling periodical delivery of fuel to the engine cylinder, and means automatically operable by said selective means engaging said fuel control means to shut off fuel when air is being admitted as first described.

' 3. In combination with an engine having a combustion space, a piston reciprocable therein, means using compressed air for imparting motion initially to the engine, a supplemental system of air conducting members of normal predetermined capacity interposed in the path of air from the sources of air to the compression space of the engine, 'a valve mechanism interposed in this supplemental conducting device so positioned and arranged as to be operated by said cam to surcharge said compression space by delivering air from said storage space into the compression space of the cylinder, as the piston ismoving into the compression space, and a pair of valves positionable so that air may be admittedeither to start the engine as first described or to surcharge as next described.-

4. In combination with an engine of the class described, means for initially admitting compressed air to the engine cylinder as the piston is about to start on its power stroke, valve mechanism operated by the quantity of air to the engine cylinder during the compression stroke, means associated with the engine for measuring and delivering such measured quantity of air at each stroke of the engine, and valve mechanism selectiveiy operatable to permit the direct admission of compressed air or the admission of the measured compressed air, singly, but not simultaneously.

5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of an engine cylinder having a conventional piston, connecting rod, crank shaft mechanism, a cam on the crank shaft adapted for rotation to operate for short intervals of time, valves placed around it, two different air valves placed in different angular positions about that said cam, a source of compressed air, piping leading therefrom to one of said valves, thence, directly to the engine cylinder, supplemental piping also leading from the last mentioned valve through the other Valve and thence to the engine cylinder, other valve mechanism by which the air may be selectively directed through one or the other, but not both, of said courses leading to the engine cylinder, the shape of the cam and the position of the various parts being such that as the engine turns over, air is admitted directly to the head of the engine ylinder as the piston reaches the end of its in stroke and is about to move out when the direct air passage referred to is open, and a measured quantity of air is admitted to the engine cylinder on the upward stroke before the piston reaches the end of its inward or upward movement when the second air passage is open, for the purposes set forth.

6. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with an engine having the usual cylinder, piston, connecting rod, crank shaft and associated parts, an oil valve operating device normally intended to deliver oil to the upper or closed end of the cylinder at the proper time for firing the engine, a source of compressed air, means by which said air may be admitted directly to the closed end of the cylinder, other means by which said compressed air may be admitted by a more circuitous route to the end of the cylinder, valve mechanism operable in unison for selecting which one of the air routes shall be usedat one time, means operated by said valve control mechanism to render said oil valve control mechanism inoperative by the engine at the time the direct air route to the engine cylinderis in use, and means operated by a'moving part of the engine for admitting air from a source of supply insuitably spaced impulses either through the direct air route to the cylinder or through the circuitous action of the piston;

route to the cylinder, depending on the condition of the control valves, and means by which the control valves hold the oil valve operating devices out of commission when the direct air route is in use.

7. In combination with a conventional engine of the class described, means supplying compressed air in suitably spaced impulses to the piston to keep the engine in motion; means operable for admitting a measured quantity of compressed air in front of the piston during its compression stroke and means selectively determining under Which condition the air shall be so admitted.

8. In combination with a conventional engine of the class described, means'supplying compressed air in suitably spaced impulses to the piston to keep the engine in motion; means operable for admitting a measured quantity of compressed air in front of the piston during its compression stroke, means selectively varying the quantity of measured air and means selectively determining under which condition the air shall be so admitted.

9. In mechanism of the class described, in combination with an engine having a combustion space, a piston reciprocable therein and moving parts operated by the a source of compressed air and means conducting the compressed air into the said compression spaceof the engine, a valve mechanism controlling the passage of compressed air through the conducting means to the compression chamber,

a cam operatable by a part moved by the piston adapted to operate said valve to admit air to the compression space at the time the piston is at the end of its stroke in the compression space and ready to move out thereof whereby an impulse is given by the compressed air to the piston to thereby turn the engine over, a supplemental system of air conducting members of normal predetermined capacity interposed in the path of air from the source of air to the compression space of the engine, a valve mechanism interposed in this supplemental conducting device so positioned and arranged as to be operated by said cam to deliver air from said source into the compression space as the piston is moving into the compression space, and a pair of vaives positionable so that air may be admitted either as first described or as second described.

In itness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our names.

BLAIR A. MCFARLANE. MORRIS J. GOLDBERG,

of the cylinder, 

